NY Yankees get surprise visit from The Boss

John Munson/The Star-LedgerGeorge Steinbrenner watches the Yankees' first game of the season this year from his box at Yankee Stadium.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Boss paid a surprise to the Yankees clubhouse before Wednesday's game with the Rays. George Steinbrenner, who I'm told was in good spirits, spent about 45 minutes chatting with players shortly after came off the field from batting practice.

Steinbrenner, who lives in nearby Tampa, also spent a good amount of time in the office of manager Joe Girardi. Steinbrenner had plenty of reasons to be happy: the Yankees entered the game 61-39 and 2 1/2 games ahead of the Red Sox.